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EDITORS’ NOTES

“It’s like a dark room; the senses get heightened,” R&B singer/multi-instrumentalist H.E.R. tells Apple Music, explaining why she chose to hide her face and real name when she began releasing music in 2016. “It’s not what’s on the surface, it’s what’s in the heart.” Since her debut, H.E.R. has been slowly peeling back layers of mystery. She was revealed to be Gabi Wilson, a former child prodigy; she performed, unmasked, at the 2018 BET Awards.

I Used to Know Her continues the unveiling: H.E.R. unlocks a brand-new skillset—rapping—on opener “Lost Souls,” a tribute to Lauryn Hill’s classic “Lost Ones.” The rest of the EP reverts back to the sensual alt-quiet storm of her self-titled 2017 project, this time writing a postscript for a failed relationship. "My music is my diary—things that I go through,” she says. “Could’ve Been,” with Bryson Tiller, scans like a sad follow-up to her joyful 2017 duet with Daniel Caesar, “Best Part.” Unfortunately, the project doesn’t feature any of the guitar-solo skills she flashed at the BET Awards, but she hints that follow-up projects might: “Maybe there’s another ‘Purple Rain’—you never know!”

EDITORS’ NOTES

“It’s like a dark room; the senses get heightened,” R&B singer/multi-instrumentalist H.E.R. tells Apple Music, explaining why she chose to hide her face and real name when she began releasing music in 2016. “It’s not what’s on the surface, it’s what’s in the heart.” Since her debut, H.E.R. has been slowly peeling back layers of mystery. She was revealed to be Gabi Wilson, a former child prodigy; she performed, unmasked, at the 2018 BET Awards.

I Used to Know Her continues the unveiling: H.E.R. unlocks a brand-new skillset—rapping—on opener “Lost Souls,” a tribute to Lauryn Hill’s classic “Lost Ones.” The rest of the EP reverts back to the sensual alt-quiet storm of her self-titled 2017 project, this time writing a postscript for a failed relationship. "My music is my diary—things that I go through,” she says. “Could’ve Been,” with Bryson Tiller, scans like a sad follow-up to her joyful 2017 duet with Daniel Caesar, “Best Part.” Unfortunately, the project doesn’t feature any of the guitar-solo skills she flashed at the BET Awards, but she hints that follow-up projects might: “Maybe there’s another ‘Purple Rain’—you never know!”